After years of fan speculation, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have confirmed that they have been in a relationship for eight years.
The American football stars opened up about their romance during Sunday’s episode of “Watch with Alex Cooper” Olympics spectacle in the peacock.
“Tobin and I weren’t really friends. We weren’t actually running in the same circles. And then, once I really met her, there was a magnetism,” Press said, recalling the early days of her relationship with Heath. “And I thought, this is what I want. And I never looked back. I still feel exactly the same way.”
“The other day someone said to us, ‘Oh guys, these guys just met, they look like they’re in love,’” Press continued. “And I say, ‘No, it’s been eight years.’”
Heath also spoke about his joy and gratitude for their relationship.
“Sometimes we look at each other and think, is this really real? Are we that lucky? she said.
Heath, 36, and Press, 35, previously played for the United States women’s national soccer team.
Although they have not publicly confirmed that they were a couple for several years, Press said that those close to them have long known about their relationship.
“Our teammates knew. … We were never in the closet, like, hiding it. Our people always knew what was happening to us,” she said.
However, especially while they played on the same team, Heath said they wanted to maintain a “protective bubble” around their romance. That began to change when they were no longer teammates on the U.S. national team.
“It was only when we weren’t playing on the same team that it was a little easier for us to introduce ourselves and share our relationship a little bit,” Press said.
First impressions
It’s unclear exactly when Heath and Press met, but it appears it already existed when Press joined the U.S. national team.
The press was named as alternative striker for Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics while Heath was a midfielder.
Heath opened up about what first attracted her to the Press during her recent interview with Alex Cooper.
“She is very good at scoring goals. I wasn’t very good at scoring goals. I thought I could learn a little something,” she joked.
Heath opened up more about his first impressions of the press during a recent episode of his “The RE-CAP Program with Tobin Heath and Christen Press” podcast.
“I thought you were a little mysterious,” Heath said. “I feel like you were a little apart from the group, and I think I was a little curious as to who you were.
“There are so many great personalities on the team… but for you, the way you came onto the team, I feel like it went unnoticed,” she added. “And I think I was very curious. I was like, who is this girl?
‘Teammates, Roommates, Co-CEOs’
As Heath and Press shared in their recent interview with Cooper, they have been in a relationship for eight years. – which means they started dating around 2016.
They played together on the US national team for several years before that.
They were often photographed celebrating victories together on the pitch with the rest of their teammates, including in 2013 during a friendly match in the Netherlands.
Press and Heath were later named to the national team for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which the USA ended up winning.
In 2019, Press and Heath co-founded the lifestyle brand RE-INC along with fellow soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Meghan Klingenberg.
The brand offers “eco-conscious fashion” and “creative products” designed for “all gender identities and body types,” as well as a membership platform, according to the company website.
The pair have also launched a podcast, the “RE-CAP Show”, in conjunction with their lifestyle brand, in which they discuss global football and women’s sports.
“We’re teammates, we’re roommates, we’re co-CEOs,” Press said during his recent interview with Cooper. “We co-host our show. We pretty much co-do everything, that’s our kind of jam.”
“Then it’s a good thing I love you,” she added with a laugh to Heath.
Both Press and Heath signed one-year contracts with Manchester United UK’s women’s team in 2020.
Heath had to leave the club earlier than planned after suffering an ankle injury, while Press completed the season, making 17 appearances and scoring four goals, according to ESPN.
“Thankful for an amazing season at @manutdwomen,” Press wrote in Instagram in May 2021. “I learned a lot playing alongside such a humble, ambitious and hard-working group. You girls keep me young! GMU!!
Social media posts fueled speculation
In recent years, Heath and Press have been sharing loving posts about each other on social media, fueling relationship rumors.
In 2021, Press shared a selfie of her with her arm around Heath during a winter outing.
In September 2023, Heath shared a photo of her and Press smiling, along with the caption: “You know you make my world light up.”
In April of this year, Heath shared a photo of her and Press embracing in a field of yellow flowers with the caption “The Wild Ones.”
And in May, the press posted a photo of herself getting closer to Heath in honor of her partner’s birthday.
“I didn’t have time for a birthday post because I was busy making sure you had the best day ever. So…HBD+1 @tobinheath,” she wrote in the caption.
They were also seen holding hands a few times at public events.
They were photographed holding pinkies at the 2023 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, and in December 2022, they held hands on the red carpet while attending Grassroots Football’s World AIDS Day Gala in New York City.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
